The present invention relates to automatic beverage dispensing systems, and particularly to such systems for controlling the operation of a conventional tap.
Automatic soft drink dispensing systems are quite common in fast food restaurants for filling different sized beverage containers. Such systems include a number of push buttons by which the server designates the size of the container to be filled. In response to the activation of one of the push buttons, a corresponding amount of beverage flows through a spout into the container. These systems do not provide any mechanism for manually dispensing beverages in the event of a power failure.
Beer is commonly dispensed through a manually operated tap in which the bartender grasps a handle mounted on a lever of the tap. Movement of the lever in one direction opens a valve within the tap allowing the beer to flow through a spout into a container placed under the tap. Movement of the handle in the opposite direction closes the valve and terminates the flow of beer. Although it is desirable to provide an automated system for dispensing beer, the large installed base of manual taps makes it economically disadvantageous to replace all of the manual systems with completely automated ones similar to those being used for soft drinks. Furthermore, there is reluctance among tavern owners to adopt a fully automated system that cannot be operated manually in the event of a power failure.
As a consequence, it is desirable to provide a control mechanism for dispensing beer which can be attached to existing conventional taps to provide automated operation. It is further desirable to be able to easily disable such a retrofitted device and permit manual operation of the tap in the event of a power or equipment failure.
Brewers recommend that beer taps and lines feeding the taps be cleaned on a regular basis, as often as once a week, to avoid the beer having an off-taste or particles. Such cleaning requires the disassembly of the beer tap. Therefore components of an automated dispensing system must permit easy cleaning of the tap so that the bartender is not discouraged from performing the cleaning.